Where The River Flows Red

Seventeen

Little Mix- DNA 

    I sat on my bed for a little over two hours. Going through the details hurts. The more I remember the stronger the migraine becomes, piercing right through my temples. Any kind of movement only makes it worse. Laying down adding pressure to any side of my head would feel like death right now. 

    The silence of the room is driving me insane. Once in a while, the sound of my laughter as a little girl would echo in my ears and the sound of his voice. A stranger, yet he means the world. I had forgotten but it didn't change anything. It scares me. The way my mind works how all of this has amplified one hundred and ten percent more than it already had been. How much stronger will this get? I'm three weeks away from unlocking the remainder of the strength in me. 

    The knock bounced off the wall landing right in the center of the back of my head like a basketball hitting the rim and ricocheting directly to it. I took a deep breath wishing I could just ignore it before whoever the hell it is out there knocked once again. I stood up opening the door. 

    "Hey, I'm just checking on you," Elijah explained. His voice is like knives in my brain. 

    "I'm okay. I just want to be alone," I'm not trying to be an asshole, I just don't want to explain that right now. The sound of my voice makes my ears feel like they're going to pop at any second. 

    "I don't think you should be alone right now," he insisted. 

    "Elijah, my brain feels like it's going to explode. All I need right now is quiet," Okay, I'm a little annoyed. I put my hand on the door ready to shut it when he got the picture. 

    "Want me to bring you something for the pain?" 

    "Something strong would great," anything to get him out of here. He smiled and turned away. "Don't knock when you come back. Just walk in," 

    Memories of him rushed in and wouldn't leave me alone. The spell is almost gone and relief is on its way. The pain relievers might not even help but if I'm lucky when this is done they'll knock me out long enough to get some rest. 

    This isn't just triggering the memories he had erased. It brings forth all the memories I had forgotten throughout the years. The small details. The glances at things that I never really paid attention to. Things like the words on the pages of books I just skimmed through. Conversations my mind had recorded without me paying attention and the more that comes back the more the anger boils in me. I don't want to remember anything of things. 

    "Here," his whisper startled me making me jumped. He smirked sitting down next to me handing me a small white circle, my mind had seen these before. Codeine. 

    "Thank you," I bowed, taking it. 

    "You aren't going to ask what it is?" he asked, I smiled at him. 

    "I know what it is," I scoffed, putting in my mouth. He handed me the glass of water and I drank all of it. It calmed everything for an instant before it took over again. 

    "Are you okay?" he asked. I looked up at him and my emotions took over. The recently familiar feeling of heartbreak knotted in my throat. 

    "No. I'm not. Not really," I assured him, looking down at my feet. "I feel like s**t. I... I've been so naive. Everything that's happened, I remember it. Every little thing and it's killing me. If I didn't feel like my brain is going to explode I'd be losing my mind," 

    "How does it work?" 

    "If I have to explain it? I'd say like a music app. There are a variety of playlists and they're all organized by the year of each song. Then there's the song list where all of the memories are stored and right now they're all playing starting from the first time I opened my eyes. At first, they're images, mumbled voices because my mind didn't know how to decipher the language or what anything was. As I come to an understanding, I can choose a memory. It comes up and it has a video option. I can play it and pause it and it has that three-sixty feature where I can pause and move around the room to things that I've caught with my peripherals. Does that make sense to you?" 

    "Yeah," he whispered, looking at me. The look in his eyes makes me feel worse. Worry. "How did your dad figure it out?" 

    "I started talking at five months. Repeating things others said clearly. By the time I was a year old I was speaking eight languages and reading. He'd tell me things and would give me time to repeat them back to him. All the memory exercises helped with unlocking the telekinesis. It's like smoke. I can create solid," 

    I put my hands up and concentrated on the energy between my hands. At first, it was like white smoke and the more I concentrated it turned blue. I put it up to him so he could touch it. He looked at me and I nodded. He took out my hands and rolled it around his. 

    "It's warm," he noted. I thought that was just me because it came from inside of my body. "Like glass with hot water in it," 

    "It's strong too. Throw it as hard you can," 

    We got up and walked out to the living room. He threw it. It went through a pillar without so much as cracking. I pulled it back to me before it destroyed anything else. I caught it breaking it apart, letting go of the energy. It faded into smoke again before it disappeared. 

    "That's incredible," I'm pretty sure it's meant as a compliment, but it sounds a little like fear. 

    "My dad was like you. He was an elemental. He would throw them and would surround them with flame when they were in the air. I can store things in them. I'd pick up rocks and surround them like this and he'd throw them. When I took the energy back it shatters whatever is inside in millions of pieces. Pieces you can't stop because you can barely see them," 

    "I've never heard of a power like that," he shook his head. I looked up at him. 

    "I'm not as strong as Godrick. My dad, he did the same thing to him. His memories are locked. If they think he's strong now they are wrong," 

    "What?" he asked. "Why would he do that?" 

    "He wanted to hide him in plain sight. It's what was safe at the time.  I am expendable to the cause. If I die, they would think the danger is over. Godrick will still be king. If Godrick dies it'll be the end of our existence," 

    "The vampire race?" he asked. I smiled looking at him. 

    "No. Everything. Mortal and immortal," 

    "Why would you think that?" 

    "The power in him will be unleashed destroying everything in its way," 

    He sat still for what felt like hours. My headache dulled out as my mind caught up with the undoing of the spell. My body felt heavy. My head fell over to his shoulder as I tried to put everything together and ignoring it. He lifted me, pulling the comforter out, placing me under it, and then tucking me in.

    "Get some rest, princess," he ordered.  

    "I'm mad at you," I said making him stop before he walked out.

    "What I do this time?" he asked. 

    "You don't think I should be taken seriously. You told Godrick that I should be treated like a princess not Analyse," 

    "I said he should stop treating her like she's going to fall apart at any second," 

    "You think I'm going to fall apart at any second?" I asked, insulted. He walked back to me with a smile on his lips. 

    "You should. You're holding it all in and it's going to become overwhelming," 

    "I can handle it. I'm not as docile as you think I am," 

    "No you're not but I'd like you to be. It'll make me feel useful and worthy of you. If I can't hold you when you need me to, what good am I good for?" 

    "That is super flawed," I chuckled. taking his hand. 

    "Why is that?" 

    "Because I doubt there will ever be a moment when I won't need you to not hold me. And also seriously? You are super cool. You get under both my brother's skins. That takes skill and serious confidence," I could feel myself fading. My body shutting down. I can barely keep my eyes open. "Stay here. You're warm," 

    "I'm gonna close the door," he tried to pull away. I tightened my hold on him, slightly.  I looked at it and shut my eyes imagining it closed and the sound of it shutting made him laugh. 

    "Stay here forever," I whispered. 

    "That's the idea," he whispered. This time his voice came from beside me. He pulled me close to him. I placed my hands on his arm making him tense, "Dammit, you're freezing," 

    "I know," I murmured, scooting closer to him. 

    "I feel used," he chuckled. 

    "Well, I was taken from my family so that the people trying to kill my brother and I would leave my brother alone and come after me. So, welcome to the club." 

    "It's six-fifteen in the morning," I heard him say. 

    "I'll tutor you," I giggled, leaning my head on his chest. He smells amazing.